The Arizona Department of Gaming (ADG) has issued a warning in time for the National Football League (NFL) season, with the regulator warning consumers about the lurking danger of offshore and unregulated gambling sites that target state residents.
These websites, the AGD said, were designed to be disadvantageousto the players and offer them little to no safeguards when it comes to personal and financial data, not to mention responsible gambling tools, self-exclusion options, and more.
Arizona cautions players to stick to licensed operators at all costs
The websites, further argued the AGD, often denied payments and withdrawals based on obscure terms and conditions, or put forward misleading bonus offers, which then led to account issues, suspensions, or bans.
These warnings are issued in time for Responsible Gambling Education Month – September, which has been a fixed point on the calendar, highlighting regulatory efforts to stem the tide of gambling-related problems.
In a statement, the AGD said: "Unregulated platforms lack responsible gaming safeguards, age verification, and offer no consumer protections, which puts Arizonans at risk. That’s why the Department is promoting resources to give every Arizonan the tools they need to make informed choices and play responsibly."
The regulator similarly reminded consumers and residents that, by law, any company that has been certified in Arizona offers a host of RG safeguards that are missing at unregulated websites, which usually have subpar consumer protections, if any at all.
The ADG also issued a checklist for players to follow when looking to decide if a website was indeed licensed by the regulator. The regulator explained that unlicensed websites would often make it harder to get payments out and would not have a clear dispute resolution process.
Consumers need to understand how unlicensed operators look and act
At this point, however, a person who is trying to withdraw their money from an unregulated website would already have gone too far, the regulator cautions. The ADG also cautioned that unlicensed websites had unusual payment methods, such as cryptocurrencies or gift cards, and usually had websites of lower quality compared to Arizona state-licensed alternatives.
Director of the Division of Problem Gambling, Elise Mikkelson, highlighted the importance of the state’s helpline, which has already been actively used, with some 11,000 residents also enrolling in the state’s self-exclusion program.
However, this does not address the larger problem at hand – offshore websites often do not comply with self-exclusions issued within specific jurisdictions, exposing customers to more risks still.
